Relic

I've been awaiting the arrival of this film ever since watching the trailer a few weeks ago. It had that depth of darkness and a feeling of realness to it that I look for in a good horror film. Relic explores the subject of dementia in a unique fashion that will pull at your heart strings. Especially for those that have dealt with the illness first hand.

Relic is essentially a drama which disguises itself as a horror film by using a few of the classic horror conventions and clichés. The metaphors provide the real horror here.

The three main actors do a great job of conveying the story and deliver a wonderful performance that will leave you emotionally gripped throughout. Where Relic lacks, is in pace. At times it can be rather dull, long winded and only finally picks up in the last 1/3rd of the film.

The climax of the film will have you on the edge of your seat and is easily the best part of the film. Those that don't like thought provoking, symbolic conclusions will probably want to stay clear of this one. Still, it's one of the more memorable endings to a film I've seen in a while and undoubtedly uncomfortable.

This one is worth the runtime just for the brilliant score, ambiance and composition. You definitely need a decent pair of headphones or a nice sound system to get the most out of this one. The film is very dark, visually, it can be hard to make out specific details in most scenes. Obviously this is done to expand the creepy and unpredictable atmosphere but if anything, makes the film seem duller.

It's not a 10/10 movie by any means but it does serve as a mildly entertaining way to pass an hour and a half of time. Especially if you don't have anything else to do or watch. Give it a go, you may like it.

My retrospective on this one: sometimes you have to discard the old version of a person you knew and learn to love them for what they've become.

This Australian horror never ceased to amaze me. The film started off very mysterious and rather spooky. As with so many horror films, I expected the mystery to subside by the second act, but it remained mysterious and creepy for the entire movie. It's been a while since I've experienced a movie like this.

Kay is asked to check up on her mother, Edna, who lives alone in a big house in the countryside, and haven't been seen in a few days. Kay's daughter, Sam, accompanies her. From the onset it is clear things are not what they seem. When Edna suddenly reappears, things get even creepier and more mysterious. Robyn Nevin is fantastic as Edna. Edna clearly has dementia, but there's something far more sinister going on ... or is there?

Bloody hell, this film was so much better than expected. Some moments - especially during the final act - will have you cringe in your seat. The effects were never over the top, but ever so effective. Wow, this was good - and also somewhat disturbing. Great ending!

This is well done and I can't say I have seen anything like it. The actors are very good and the script is creative and well timed. It's a fairly slow burn but not enough to lose your attention. I love a good horror but this one hit too close to home. I couldn't handle it. That's never happened before. When I was a teenager, my best friend and I, used to get rocked and go see movies like The Exorcist. So, when I say I couldn't handle THIS movie, that says something. If you love a good horror and you are the target audience, this one will give you nightmares. If you're not the target audience, it probably won't phase you. For instance, if you are afraid of flying, then movies about aircraft accidents will effect you. If you are not afraid of flying you can mentally step back and not get nervous watching a movie about airplane accidents. It's like that. If something like this has even remotely touched your life, this movie will rattle your cage big time.

Kay (Emily Mortimer) and her daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) arrive to check on her mother Edna (Robyn Nevin) who has been responding to police checks. They find Edna in a disturbed state and slowly deteriorating.

This is a slow moody Australian horror. It's a little slow in the first half. Basically, this is tapping into the senior with dementia idea. The movie could do more with it earlier. Some of the photo album stuff can be done sooner. This needs to do more and faster. It does get to an interesting place and I like the ending. This is not the scariest horror but it's interesting.

Another quality entry from a 21st century Australian filmmaker, it's a film which horror I don't think most young people can experience or recognize properly, because it gets real with age, and, as you grow older, it creeps into you as some sort of inheritance, a legacy where you find yourself thinking of dying not in those romantic terms where you'd decide your own fate, but in terms of personal diminishing and gradual demise as, next in line for it, you slowly but surely creep towards your own death. "Relic" is drama-first, horror-second, yet that doesn't spoil its genre effectiveness. The three women portraying the three generations within the same family are all great and, even more importantly - relatable. With so many movies right now having these perplexingly high metascore marks, "Relic" is the one where I actually think its rating is highly unfair. My bet is it'll age gracefully.